Heather Watson kept her bid for a first US Open main-draw appearance in five years alive when she recovered from a set down to beat Claire Liu 4-6 6-2 6-4 in the opening round of qualifying in New York. The 34-year-old surrendered the opening set but regrouped, winning the middle set convincingly and holding serve after nearly surrendering a double-break lead in the decider, to earn a meeting with Spain's Angela Fita Boluda.
British men also enjoyed progress. Toby Samuel rallied to beat Italy's Francesco Maestrelli 6-7 (2-7) 6-3 6-1, setting up a second-round clash with fellow Briton Billy Harris. Harris reached that round with a 6-1 6-3 victory over Peru's Gonzalo Bueno. Jacob Fearnley defeated Spain's Roberto Carballes Baena 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 and will face France's Luka Pavlovic next.
Harry Wendelken ousted Italy's Stefano Travaglia 6-4 3-6 6-3 to draw Swiss player Remy Bertola in the next match, while Jack Pinnington Jones beat American Trevor Svajda 7-6 (7-4) 6-4. The string of wins means six British players progressed through the first qualifying round, extending their routes toward the main draw.
Not every home hope advanced. Liam Broady lost 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 to Italy's Marco Cecchinato, and Felix Gill was beaten by Francesco Passaro 7-6 (7-3) 6-2, trimming Britain's chances among seeded hopefuls. Players must win three qualifying rounds to reach the singles main draw, which begins on Sunday.
Elsewhere in qualifying, China's Zheng Qinwen, a two-time US Open quarter-finalist, beat compatriot Xiaodi You 6-3 6-2. The 23-year-old, who has fallen to 121st in the world after elbow surgery last year, will face France's Clara Burel in the next round.
The men's field also lost a notable name when Brazilian world number 26 Joao Fonseca withdrew with an abdominal injury. The 20-year-old, a French Open quarter-finalist this season, said he would need "more time to fully recover so I can compete at a high level". His absence removes a ranked contender from the draw and slightly reshuffles the dynamics for other qualifiers.
